Did You Know?
Team-building is an important part of creating a dynamic and healthy workplace environment full of productivity and innovation.
Icebreakers are an effective way of establishing that first initial contact between employees that might otherwise be a bit shy around the office.
There is a variety of corporate games and activities to do just that: break the ice.
There’s any number of activities depending on the size of the group that can be tailored to your specific goal;
Whether it’s energising your workforce after a successful bid or while completing a long-term project that includes a great deal of team effort, an experience can be crafted for you.
- Yoga,
- laughter,
- meditation and
- conversation games,
where small groups simply introduce themselves and engage in oriented group discussion, all provide great ways to stimulate large groups of individuals and provide an interactive experience.
Here are some wellness activities that you can practice at work to give your employees an opportunity to interact, reduce stress and improve their overall performance.
1. Team-Building Cooking Classes
What better way than cooking to get people together in the kitchen? Team-building cooking classes are an inspiring way to motivate clients, and can be tailored in any number of ways. This type of team bonding has been proven to inspire and motivate, building team camaraderie and has uses as an evaluation tool and as a reward for an employer’s workforce.
It has the benefit of improving communication skills, giving employees shared experiences, and empowering them to make healthy mistakes, adjust, and be rewarded for learning. It allows you to identify potential leaders among your workforce and also allows for a chance to relax and to relieve tension and build together.
If you’d like to check out some specially-tailored team-cooking activities for businesses in the Sydney area check out this Healthy Cooking Demonstrations that can be tailored to your workplace’s needs.
2. Meditation
In the high-stress environment of a kitchen or other environments, there is high pressure to perform, and the stress can build until finally it consumes you and deprives you of both optimal health and performance; this includes both physical and mental performances, which are key to being successful in any situation.
Meditation is an excellent, scientifically-backed and traditional way of improving your personal health by reducing your stress and increasing your focus. These benefits include reducing general stress, making dealing with that harsh co-worker a bit easier. You might even feel a little more motivated to get to work and as a result, you may just want to see where your work might lead you in terms of a future career within the company. Alleviating the stress frees your mind of unnecessary clutter and provides for overall better final completed products.
There are workshops geared at addressing those exact needs. Clients can participate in meditation sessions with professionals and work hands-on to develop strategies and overcome potentially more demanding times in their lives and allow any of us to reach our full potential. These workshops are currently available in Sydney and in cities across Australia. Know more about the benefits of corporate meditation classes and its benefits.
3. Yoga
Eastern philosophies are being used in western workplaces more commonly. One of these eastern practices, yoga appears to be one in which there is a clear benefit for both employer and employee.
In addition, there are yoga courses from Holistic Services Group, which have proven to have the same benefits as meditation, such as reduced stress, and yet has further benefits from the improved physical health brought on by the nature of the discipline. These workshops increase morale, create strong immune systems through stress reduction, resulting in less absenteeism, and many other of the same benefits that meditation provided participants.
4. Tai Chi
More unusually, Tai Chi is practiced in several styles, all of which originate from the same concepts but have unique characteristics. For example, the Chen style is a more explosive, combat-oriented style, whereas the Wu style focuses more on controlling one’s energy from within; the most commonly practiced, however, is the Yang style, and it is defined by the slow, fluid movements that help practitioners relax.
Similar to Yoga, Tai Chi purifies and revitalises the body by encouraging the flow of fluids. It raises one’s heart rate and blood flow so that the red blood cells more effectively carry oxygen to the vital organs, providing vitality and boosting energy levels. The exercise also pushes the practitioner to move their joints through their full range of motion, promoting balance, physical strength, and increased flexibility.
Metaphysically, Tai Chi aids the practitioner in emptying their mind through meditation, and refocuses their energy to matching the flow of their breath and movement to that of the environment around them. While only a few masters of Tai Chi can reach the state of ultimate harmony with the universe, all practitioners of the art can benefit from the calming psychological effects it provides. It has consistently been shown to alleviate stress and to put one in a serene, clearheaded state of mind.
Practicing Tai Chi is incredibly easy, as it can be practiced nearly anywhere without any equipment and can be done in either groups or individually. There are countless forms of motions that are suitable for people of all ages and physical ability, and it is not as physically exerting as other forms of exercise, while still providing the benefits of increased energy and lowered stress levels.
Simplicity
The simplicity of the movements makes it the ideal stress reliever and exercise that can be done anywhere, anytime. Tai Chi Chuan (Tai Chi), otherwise known as the “Supreme Ultimate Fist” is a form of Chinese martial arts consisting of moving meditation. It promotes both physical and mental health by encouraging harmony between the body, mind and spirit, essentially diminishing anxiety and increasing focus and concentration.
Practice
Tai Chi is practiced in several styles, all of which originate from the same concepts but have unique characteristics. For example, the Chen style is a more explosive, combat-oriented style, whereas the Wu style focuses more on controlling one’s energy from within. The most commonly practiced, however, is the Yang style, and it is defined by slow, fluid movements that help practitioners relax.
Similar to Yoga, Tai Chi purifies and revitalises the body by encouraging the flow of fluids. It raises one’s heart rate and blood flow so that the red blood cells more effectively carry oxygen to the vital organs, providing vitality and boosting energy levels. The exercise also pushes the practitioner to move their joints through their full range of motion, promoting balance, physical strength, and increased flexibility. There are Tai Chi classes that help employees relax and re-energise, ultimately increasing productivity in the workplace. These take place at various locations in Sydney.
Short Term and Long Term Benefits
The benefits of these sorts of classes are that you get long-term and short-term effects. In the short-term, it clears the mind while in the long-term, stress becomes easier to deal with.
The training courses offered allow different strategies to be applied to just the right instance for each company. Recent research into the benefits of this type of approach shows that 20-minute weekly sessions reduced stress levels by 10% and improved sleep quality. Among those benefits at home, it was noted that customer service was better from those employees, as was their inter-staff relations, mental focus, and compensation claims.
Just these few practices can bring peaceful center of being, greater stress relief and improve both life at work and at home, wherever you are from Sydney to Melbourne and all across Australia.
Feel free to inquire about these practices with Holistic Services Group however take what you’ve learned and continue applying to life.
Like Holistic Services Group, Alsco also provide tailored services to individual companies to make sure staffs are always safe and healthy. Partner with Alsco and enquire about hygiene systems, mats and workwear. Call 1300 659 892 now.
Alsco would like to thank Holistic Services Group for this article. Holistic Services Group is a leading provider of corporate wellness solutions and well being programs in most major cities in Australia. If you’re looking for corporate wellness program ideas, visit www.holisticservices.com.au.
Image Courtesy: Wikimedia